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       lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
       
       
       ARTICLE VIEW: 
       
       /
       
       Mauricio Pochettino laments ‘sad situation’ after Chelsea players
       squabble over penalty during 6-0 win against Everton
       
       By George Ramsay, CNN
       
       Updated: 
       
       5:27 AM EDT, Tue April 16, 2024
       
       Source: CNN
       
       manager Mauricio Pochettino said it was a “sad situation” seeing
       his players squabble over who was going to take a penalty during an
       otherwise impressive 6-0 win against Everton.
       
       Cole Palmer, who ultimately took the penalty and scored his fourth goal
       of Monday’s game, had won the spot kick when the debate over who
       should take it ensued.
       
       Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke both felt that they should have
       responsibility, as did Palmer, Chelsea’s regular penalty taker. As a
       brief tussle broke out between the trio, captain Conor Gallagher
       grabbed the ball from Madueke and handed it to Palmer.
       
       The striker then calmly rolled the ball into the bottom-left corner to
       give Chelsea a 5-0 lead at Stamford Bridge.
       
       “For me, it’s a shame because I think we cannot behave in this way.
       I told them that this is the last time that I accept this type of
       behavior,” Pochettino told Sky Sports about the incident after the
       game.
       
       He added, “I made clear to them and now through you, to the fans and
       to everyone that Cole Palmer is the taker.
       
       “And then if Palmer wants to give the ball to another he can, but not
       in this way. It’s a really, really sad situation what happened and I
       won’t accept that to happen again.”
       
       The 21-year-old Palmer, now the Premier League’s joint-top scorer
       this season on 20 goals, downplayed the issue.
       
       “I’m the penalty taker and I wanted to take it so in the end I took
       it,” he told Sky Sports. “But I think we’re just trying to show
       that everyone wants to take responsibility and stuff like that.
       
       “Maybe it was a bit over the top, the argument and stuff, but
       everyone just wants to win [and] help, it’s nothing major. We were
       laughing and joking about it.”
       
       The England international scored a perfect hat-trick in the first half
       against Everton – his first from the edge of the area with his left
       foot, his second a close-range header, and his third a brilliant
       right-footed lob from distance after a disastrous error from Everton
       goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
       
       Jackson’s well-taken finish just before the end of the half gave
       Chelsea a commanding 4-0 lead before Palmer’s penalty – his ninth
       from nine attempts this season – added gloss to an outstanding
       individual performance.
       
       Late on in the one-sided contest, defender Alfie Gilchrist scored his
       first Chelsea goal to cap off a big win for the home side. Victory sees
       Chelsea stay ninth in the Premier League table but within three points
       of Newcastle, Manchester United, and West Ham having played fewer
       games.
       
       Everton, meanwhile, is just two points above the relegation zone as the
       club feels the pressure of two separate points deductions this season
       for breaching financial rules.
       
       Next up on Sunday is an important game at home against Nottingham
       Forest, a place below Everton in the Premier League, while Chelsea
       plays Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday.
       
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